


Fall Away

by Carmenlire



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Episode: s03e15 Coda, Head of the Institute Alec Lightwood, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e15 To the Night Children, is that right lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 20:22:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmenlire/pseuds/Carmenlire
Summary: His voice betrays him, a faint tremor showing just how close he is to losing it whenever he says, “Magnus is my world and if he dies, I swear I will--”“You will what,” Lorenzo snaps back and without warning he’s bringing a hand up, blasting Alec away with yellow magic that’s not nearly as warm as Magnus’s own blue.Or, Alec pays Lorenzo a visit and they both get more than they bargained for.





	Fall Away

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This does contain spoilers based on the sneak peak for 3x16 as a FYI!

His hands are shaking and as Alec blinks furious tears away, his gut clenches. 

The fear chokes him, the gnawing ache that’s grown between his ribs becomes more pronounced with every minute that passes, with every second that goes by as Magnus lays in that fucking infirmary bed, unconscious and looking so damn small.

 _Fragile_. That’s a word that Alec never thought could apply to his boyfriend. Magnus was larger than life, even in his most vulnerable moments, and seeing him laying defenseless with the endless drone of the oximeter sounding the only noise in the room sets Alec on edge in the most terrible way.

The elevator doors open but Alec doesn’t move for a moment, using that momentary pause to take a bracing breath and get his emotions in check. It’s a losing battle but Alec’s loathe to give Rey any advantage, perceived or not.

It wouldn’t do to give his opponent an edge, to leave himself open to attack.

Steps measured, Alec walks to Magnus’s door-- for this loft will always be Magnus’s no matter what reptile slithers inside-- and raises his hand to knock. Only before his knuckles can make contact, both doors are being pulled opened.

Lorenzo Rey stands in the middle of the room, sunlight spilling in through the sheer curtains, and Alec feels rage sweep over him so fast that he’s dizzy with it. Rey, the smug bastard, doesn’t even deign to acknowledge him at first. Instead, his back faces Alec and he looks patently unconcerned with his visit.

“You--” Alec starts, but he doesn’t get any further before Rey’s turning to face him, looking shocked even as his eyes dance with glee.

“Mr. Lightwood,” Lorenzo starts, raising a hand to his chest in stunned surprise. “I didn’t see you there--”

Alec’s voice is harsh as he cuts Lorenzo off. “Stop,” he says coldly. “You know why I’m here.”

Raising an eyebrow in a supercilious expression, Lorenzo merely asks, “I do? I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we had a meeting scheduled.”

Alec takes a few steps forward, his body vibrating with the need to smash something. He feels anger and grief and worry and frustration clawing at his gut and it’s all he can do not to wipe that goddamn smug smirk off Rey’s face. Alec’s never pretended to be a better person, not when his family is concerned-- never when _Magnus_ is concerned-- and he wants to make it clear just how far he’s willing to go to protect what’s his.

Still, he’s the Head of the Institute and decorum hasn’t been drilled into his skull for twenty years just to blow everything on the disgrace standing in front of him.

“What did you do,” he asks quietly, gaze trained on Lorenzo’s face to see his shifting expressions that betray his smugness, his seeming joy in the face of Alec’s own devastation.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Lorenzo says lightly. “I gave Bane what he wanted. He knew the risks.”

Recoiling, Alec snarls as he replies, “You knew the risks and you still did this to him? You still gave him something that could kill him--”

“Magnus is a grown man. You should have seen his face when I transferred my magic to him,” Rey muses. “He was like a kid in a candy store. I suppose momentary happiness was worth whatever. . . unpleasant side effects could manifest.”

“You’re despicable. You’re supposed to be the High Warlock and that comes with responsibility that you will never understand. You’re supposed to protect your people and instead you-- what? Toy with them, order them around like puppets? You’re not a leader,” Alec says quietly with scathing disgust. “You’re a goddamn parasite.”

Lorenzo’s eyes flash and Alec sees his hands clench into fists as he replies, “I’d be careful with how you speak to me, Mr. Lightwood. I wouldn’t want our professional relationship to grow tarnished.”

Scoffing, Alec shifts closer to Rey, using his height to tower over the man in front of him. 

“Am I getting too close, Rey? It’s true, you know,” Alec taunts. “You order other warlocks not to help Magnus. You take credit for jobs you’re too incompetent to start, let alone finish. You give something to a warlock who is under your protection, knowing all the while that _it could kill him_.”

Alec’s breath hitches at the end, his mind replaying the last few minutes in his office last night. The way Magnus had collapsed, speaking in a language Alec had never heard before, the way he just laid on the floor, eyes squeezed shut in pain and nose bleeding.

Magnus has been unresponsive for sixteen hours and Alec hadn’t left his boyfriend’s side, not until he’d realized that Rey could hold the answers and that regardless if he could help or not-- whether he could be _made_ to help or not-- Alec could do something instead of sitting at Magnus’s bedside while pleading for the love of his life to wake up.

Alec’s never felt so helpless and he’d grabbed the chance to _do_ something.

His voice betrays him, a faint tremor showing just how close he is to losing it whenever he says, “Magnus is my world and if he dies, I swear I will--”

“You will what,” Lorenzo snaps back and without warning he’s bringing a hand up, blasting Alec away with yellow magic that’s not nearly as warm as Magnus’s own blue.

The force of the magic pushes Alec back and as it lands against his chest with all the subtlety of a Mack Truck, Alec feels the breath wrench from his lungs. He can’t get his footing and so he crashes against the floor, back pulsing with pain as he lands against the unforgiving wood.

It’s silent in the loft as Alec regains his equilibrium. He doesn’t pay any attention to Rey, focusing on measured breaths and cataloging the half dozen pulse points of pain lighting him up from the inside. He welcomes the pain, uses it to clear his head.

A few moments later, Alec climbs gracefully to his feet. Rey hasn’t said anything and the silence hangs over the room, tense and sick with anticipation.

Alec’s still worried about Magnus, still feels that gnawing grief hammering away at his heart but there’s vicious satisfaction singing up his spine and when he meets Rey’s eyes, he smiles coldly.

For his part, Rey’s doing his damnedest to look unconcerned, chin jutting up in challenge. Alec sees awareness flare in his eyes, though, and knows they both have played this match to its conclusion.

Walking slowly towards Lorenzo Rey, Alec’s not worried about another unexpected attack. He maintains the smile on his face, the faint upturn of his mouth, until he’s standing right in front of the High Warlock.

As his face turns stoic, Alec knows that his eyes betray him. He watches Rey’s throat work as he swallows harshly, feeling undisguised glee.

“I told you very recently that you were going to slip up,” Alec says quietly. He studies Lorenzo as he continues, voice growing frigid, “And when you did, I would be there, ready to take you down. You just assaulted the Head of the New York Institute in an unprovoked attack. That’s grounds for immediate arrest and placement in the City of Bones, Mr. Rey.”

“You baited me,” Rey starts through clenched teeth.

Alec chuckles and it’s devastating for its confidence. He tsks sadly. “You’re a leader, Rey, and you mean to tell me that you can’t control yourself when someone insults you? It’s clear that you’re ill-equipped for your position and it’s my duty-- and my pleasure-- to see you punished.”

Bringing his hands up, Alec gestures to Rey, making sure that the warlock is paying close attention to his next words. “By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll be a laughingstock of New York. And if I have my way? You’ll have no choice but to slither the hell back to whatever rock you crawled out from.”

He smiles but it’s humorless. “I knew that if I gave you enough rope, you’d hang yourself without me having to lift a goddamn finger. You touched what was mine, Rey, and for that I’ll see you pay in spades.”

Narrowing his eyes, Alec takes a step back, still watching Rey carefully. Rey doesn’t offer anything but a glare and Alec knows that he’s won. It’s a hollow victory considering his boyfriend is still in a coma-- that his heart’s still being squeezed in a vise grip-- but it’s victory nonetheless.

He looks around the loft, immediately cataloging the dozen differences that’s been made in the past few days. “Enjoy this pied-à-terre while you have it, Rey. I swear on the Angel, it won’t be yours for much longer.”

Turning on his heel, Alec leaves Rey standing in the middle of the room without a backwards glance.

He might not have gotten any answers but Alec feels lighter than he has since Magnus collapsed last night. As he makes his way back to his boyfriend, Alec knows that he’ll do whatever it takes to save Magnus.

After all, they always find their way back to each other and nothing-- no angel or demon or sanctimonious warlock-- is going to keep Alec from bringing Magnus home, back to him.

 _No matter what it takes_ , Alec resolves and his mind starts spinning with plans.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on tumblr or twitter @carmenlire!


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